Science and technology are natural long-standing partners in school and out. Scientists develop technologies for use in their work and they develop technologies for commercial purposes. The science classroom is a natural place for technology use since so much of science today depends of technology. It is fair to say that one cannot be a scientist without being knowledgeable about computers and other advanced technologies. Credit: McRory, R. (2008), Science, technology and teaching: The topic specific challenges of TPCK in science. In B. Cato (Ed), The Handbook of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) for Educators (pp 193); Lawrence Erlbaum.
Technology has changed and shaped the way many educators go about the way of teaching in their classroom. I know from a personal experience technology has changed the way I teach all subjects. I have integrated more technology into my curriculum in all subjects and cannot be happier. As for science, I have included the following technology into the curriculum and have changed for the better the students understanding of the content and their ability to report their findings in science. Excel is a program for students that will help them stay organized and be able to present their findings to the class in an organized, clear way. Creating charts, graphs( from excel), and illustrations( images found from the web) to communicate what they observed and/or write procedures, as well as, reviewing questions they may have about what they have investigated in science. By finding illustrations or pictures from the web students will be able to find correct models to represent their findings which might be hard to represent by drawing by hand.
Sample Lesson Plans
Lessons on the Human Body Organ Systems for grade 5
humanbody.phillipmartin.info
Human Body Systems Popplet Presentation - After completing a unit on the human body, students in collaborative groups will work together to create a Popplet presentation (www.popplet.com) on their assigned organ systems .
Human Body Systems Class Wiki- Students will work together to create a class Wiki based on information they have gathered and learned about the Human Body
These lessons are geared toward fourth grade, covering many of the physical Science GLCE’s for Michigan’s fourth grade students, while incorporating technology standards set by the International Society for Technology in Education (iste). These lessons were developed to give the students an understanding of the principle of matter. Technology was incorporated to help the students to work as real scientists do. I structured my lesson plans using the 5E format. The 5E structure was perfect for the lessons I planned because of the focus on the Science GLCE’s.
When the students are able to use technology to show or represent work that may be a struggle if done by hand, the students get more out of the lesson. The students are able to focus more on the content of the lesson and provide a more accurate representation of the work they have done with the help of technology.
Introduction to the States of Matter
In the introduction lesson students will work in small groups rotate through each center, having 5-8 minutes at each center. Teacher is observing and listening to student discussion and is asking probing questions for further discussion and critical thinking (ex. Why did you think…? Why would you do it this way? Are there other ways to do…? What are you finding out about…?) Center one, States of matter trade books. Students will be engaged in reading through their choice of Matter trade books, monitoring their own comprehension when reading and recognizing frequently encountered words and vocabulary. Center two, picture cards for classifying materials found in everyday life. Students should be making connections from content to self, using prior knowledge, using critical thinking and listening skills as they work with group members to classify materials. Center three, making a states of matter chart. Students are using prior knowledge from multiple types of text to illustrate and communicate a basic understanding of science concept. Center four, states of matter song with lyrics and activity. Students are using prior knowledge from multiple types of text to illustrate and communicate a basic understanding of science concept. As for their assessment students will be taking their new knowledge of the states of matter and creating a concept map using Excel or Inspiration.
All About Liquids
In all about liquids the students work in small groups and are given several different liquids to investigate (water, juice, pop, rubbing alcohol, paint, oil, and vinegar). Students are investigating properties of different liquids, comparing liquids, asking questions about liquids and possible reactions. Students will also be using measurement tools (graduated cylinders and measuring cups) to measure liquids The students will use excel to help record their findings at the end of every day. When the experiment is done at the end of the week the students will take the data and put it in charts and graphs from using excel. Excel helps to provide a program for students that will help them stay organized and be able to present their findings to the class in an organized, clear way.
Resources
Life Science
Virtual Electron Microscope - View, examine and identify specimens with Discovery Channel's virtual electron microscope.
Sizing up the Universe - Interactive comparative tool to help students get a handle on the relative sizes of the planets, sun, moon and universe.
Light and Shadows Simulation: Interactive website for students to experiment with shadow formation and manipulation.
Earth Science
Virtual Volcano - Create your own virtual volcano and watch it erupt.
Interactive Rock Cycle - Identify and quiz on types of rocks, learn about the rock cycle
3rd and 4th Grade Light and Sound Learning Activities
This Science unit focuses on the forms of energy light and sound. Three lessons were created integrating technology into the teaching of light and sound. The content of this unit challenges students to identify light and sound as forms of energy, and to explore the properties of each form of energy. Technology will be integrated in these learning activities in a variety of ways. The use of reflection blogs to record their ideas at home and data obtained in the classroom, student e-mailing to share their findings with peers, projectors to show videos during class discussions, and web quests to explore and identify light and sound are some of the examples of technology integration for these activities.
These learning activities were originally taught to a third and fourth grade multi-aged classroom. Since most students spend two years in the classroom, fourth grade aged students experienced this content for the first time. During each lesson, the class contained about 20 students made up of third and fourth graders.
Standards Covered:
State of Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations, Third Grade Science
K-7 Standard S.IP: Develop an understanding that scientific inquiry and reasoning involves observing, questioning, investigating, recording, and developing solutions to problems.
S.IP.E.1 Inquiry involves generating questions, conducting investigations, and developing solutions to problems through reasoning and observation.
S.IP.03.11 Make purposeful observation of the natural world using the appropriate senses.
S.IP.03.12 Generate questions based on observations.
S.IP.03.13 Plan and conduct simple and fair investigations.
S.IP.03.14 Manipulate simple tools that aid observation and data collection (for example: hand lens, balance, ruler, meter stick, measuring cup, thermometer, spring scale, stop watch/timer).
S.IP.03.15 Make accurate measurements with appropriate units (centimeters, meters, Celsius, grams, seconds, minutes) for the measurement tool.
S.IP.03.16 Construct simple charts and graphs from data and observations.
K-7 Standard S.IA: Develop an understanding that scientific inquiry and investigations require analysis and communication of findings, using appropriate technology.
S.IA.E.1 Inquiry includes an analysis and presentation of findings
that lead to future questions, research, and investigations. S.IA.03.12 Share ideas about science through purposeful conversation incollaborative groups.
Energy
K-7 Standard P.EN: Develop an understanding that there are many forms of energy (such as heat, light, sound, and electrical) and that energy is transferable by convection, conduction, or
radiation. Understand energy can be in motion, called kinetic; or it can be stored, called potential. Develop an understanding that as temperature increases, more energy is added to a system. Understand nuclear reactions in the sun produce light and heat for the Earth.
P.EN.E.1 Forms of Energy- Heat, electricity, light, and sound are forms of energy.
P.EN.03.11 Identify light and sound as forms of energy.
P.EN.E.2 Light Properties- Light travels in a straight path. Shadows result from light not being able to pass through an object. When light travels at an angle from one substance to
another (air and water), it changes direction.
P.EN.03.21 Demonstrate that light travels in a straight path and that shadows are made by placing an object in a path of light.
P.EN.03.22 Observe what happens to light when it travels from air to water (a straw half in the water and half in the air looks bent).
P.EN.E.3 Sound- Vibrating objects produce sound. The pitch of sound varies by changing the rate of vibration.
P.EN.03.31 Relate sounds to their sources of vibrations (for example: a musical note produced by a vibrating guitar string, the sounds of a drum made by the vibrating drum head).
P.EN.03.32 Distinguish the effect of fast or slow vibrations as pitch.
National Educational Technology Standards for K-12 Students
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks d. Process data and report results
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
This lesson introduces students to light and sound as forms of energy. Students will be engaged with a demonstration of creating light, and sound. Exploration questions will be posed to students for investigations. The questions will involve students exploring light and sound as forms of energy through the use of a webquest from zunal.com. After each group completes their webquest, they will present their understandings to the class through discussions and presentations. Students will also participate in a classroom science reflection blog at the conclusion of this lesson to facilitate their personal reflections and thoughts and light and sound as forms of energy. Technology Integration: Computers, internet, web quest from zunal.com, class science blog from edublogs.com.
Click the link below for the complete learning activity. This document also includes a thorough TPACK analysis section which includes rationale and support for TPACK decisions made for this activity.
Students will learn about shadows and how they are formed in this activity. Students will work together in groups and participate in experiments and class discussions. Students will also demonstrate that light travels in a straight path. Students will use flashlights, and the digital projector as light sources to explore about shadows. Students will be required to develop an experiment to test how to create shadows in the classroom. Students will use the materials at their disposal to create a shadow. They will record their methods and findings as a way to share their results with students in another classroom at our school. Students will type their experiment following the scientific method. At the conclusion of their investigation each group will e-mail their experiment completed with the class scientific method, to a group of students in a different class. This will demonstrate to students that scientists must follow a scientific method so that other scientists can replicate their experiment and receive the same results. The students in the other classroom at our school will be asked to read through the experiment and attempt to replicate what was done and gain the same results. Technology Integration: digital projector for shadow explorations, flashlights, internet website with shadows simulation activity, class science blog from edublogs.com.
Click the link below for the complete learning activity. This document also includes a thorough TPACK analysis section.
Students will learn about the properties of sound energy in this lesson. They will investigate how to create sounds and explore how sounds are produced with vibrations. Students will be engaged at the beginning of the lesson through videos from the internet on youtube.com and brainpop.com. The inquiry approach will be utilized in this lesson with students exploring a question about how to produce different amounts of sounds based on the materials they are presented with. Students will also have a reflection question to answer on the classroom blog as homework for this investigation. Technology Integration: Computers with internet for each group of students to research properties of sound information, digital projector with internet videos from youtube.com and brainpop.com, classroom science blog from edublogs.com.
Click the link below for the complete learning activity. This document also includes a thorough TPACK analysis section.
Table of Contents
TPACK in Elementary Science Education
Introduction to TPACK in the Elementary Setting
Credit: McRory, R. (2008), Science, technology and teaching: The topic specific challenges of TPCK in science. In B. Cato (Ed), The Handbook of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) for Educators (pp 193); Lawrence Erlbaum.
Technology has changed and shaped the way many educators go about the way of teaching in their classroom. I know from a personal experience technology has changed the way I teach all subjects. I have integrated more technology into my curriculum in all subjects and cannot be happier. As for science, I have included the following technology into the curriculum and have changed for the better the students understanding of the content and their ability to report their findings in science. Excel is a program for students that will help them stay organized and be able to present their findings to the class in an organized, clear way. Creating charts, graphs( from excel), and illustrations( images found from the web) to communicate what they observed and/or write procedures, as well as, reviewing questions they may have about what they have investigated in science. By finding illustrations or pictures from the web students will be able to find correct models to represent their findings which might be hard to represent by drawing by hand.
Sample Lesson Plans
Lessons on the Human Body Organ Systems for grade 5
Human Body Systems Popplet Presentation - After completing a unit on the human body, students in collaborative groups will work together to create a Popplet presentation (www.popplet.com) on their assigned organ systems
.
Human Body Systems Class Wiki- Students will work together to create a class Wiki based on information they have gathered and learned about the Human Body
These lessons are geared toward fourth grade, covering many of the physical Science GLCE’s for Michigan’s fourth grade students, while incorporating technology standards set by the International Society for Technology in Education (iste). These lessons were developed to give the students an understanding of the principle of matter. Technology was incorporated to help the students to work as real scientists do. I structured my lesson plans using the 5E format. The 5E structure was perfect for the lessons I planned because of the focus on the Science GLCE’s.
When the students are able to use technology to show or represent work that may be a struggle if done by hand, the students get more out of the lesson. The students are able to focus more on the content of the lesson and provide a more accurate representation of the work they have done with the help of technology.
Introduction to the States of Matter
In the introduction lesson students will work in small groups rotate through each center, having 5-8 minutes at each center. Teacher is observing and listening to student discussion and is asking probing questions for further discussion and critical thinking (ex. Why did you think…? Why would you do it this way? Are there other ways to do…? What are you finding out about…?) Center one, States of matter trade books. Students will be engaged in reading through their choice of Matter trade books, monitoring their own comprehension when reading and recognizing frequently encountered words and vocabulary. Center two, picture cards for classifying materials found in everyday life. Students should be making connections from content to self, using prior knowledge, using critical thinking and listening skills as they work with group members to classify materials. Center three, making a states of matter chart. Students are using prior knowledge from multiple types of text to illustrate and communicate a basic understanding of science concept. Center four, states of matter song with lyrics and activity. Students are using prior knowledge from multiple types of text to illustrate and communicate a basic understanding of science concept. As for their assessment students will be taking their new knowledge of the states of matter and creating a concept map using Excel or Inspiration.
All About Liquids
In all about liquids the students work in small groups and are given several different liquids to investigate (water, juice, pop, rubbing alcohol, paint, oil, and vinegar). Students are investigating properties of different liquids, comparing liquids, asking questions about liquids and possible reactions. Students will also be using measurement tools (graduated cylinders and measuring cups) to measure liquids The students will use excel to help record their findings at the end of every day. When the experiment is done at the end of the week the students will take the data and put it in charts and graphs from using excel. Excel helps to provide a program for students that will help them stay organized and be able to present their findings to the class in an organized, clear way.
Resources
Life Science
Physical Science
These are the following websites that are used with the lesson plans for teaching matter in 4th grade.Earth Science
3rd and 4th Grade Light and Sound Learning Activities
This Science unit focuses on the forms of energy light and sound. Three lessons were created integrating technology into the teaching of light and sound. The content of this unit challenges students to identify light and sound as forms of energy, and to explore the properties of each form of energy. Technology will be integrated in these learning activities in a variety of ways. The use of reflection blogs to record their ideas at home and data obtained in the classroom, student e-mailing to share their findings with peers, projectors to show videos during class discussions, and web quests to explore and identify light and sound are some of the examples of technology integration for these activities.
These learning activities were originally taught to a third and fourth grade multi-aged classroom. Since most students spend two years in the classroom, fourth grade aged students experienced this content for the first time. During each lesson, the class contained about 20 students made up of third and fourth graders.
Standards Covered:
State of Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations, Third Grade Science
K-7 Standard S.IP: Develop an understanding that scientific inquiry and reasoning involves observing, questioning, investigating, recording, and developing solutions to problems.
S.IP.E.1 Inquiry involves generating questions, conducting investigations, and developing solutions to problems through reasoning and observation.
S.IP.03.11 Make purposeful observation of the natural world using the appropriate senses.
S.IP.03.12 Generate questions based on observations.
S.IP.03.13 Plan and conduct simple and fair investigations.
S.IP.03.14 Manipulate simple tools that aid observation and data collection (for example: hand lens, balance, ruler, meter stick, measuring cup, thermometer, spring scale, stop watch/timer).
S.IP.03.15 Make accurate measurements with appropriate units (centimeters, meters, Celsius, grams, seconds, minutes) for the measurement tool.
S.IP.03.16 Construct simple charts and graphs from data and observations.
K-7 Standard S.IA: Develop an understanding that scientific inquiry and investigations require analysis and communication of findings, using appropriate technology.
S.IA.E.1 Inquiry includes an analysis and presentation of findings
that lead to future questions, research, and investigations. S.IA.03.12 Share ideas about science through purposeful conversation incollaborative groups.
Energy
K-7 Standard P.EN: Develop an understanding that there are many forms of energy (such as heat, light, sound, and electrical) and that energy is transferable by convection, conduction, or
radiation. Understand energy can be in motion, called kinetic; or it can be stored, called potential. Develop an understanding that as temperature increases, more energy is added to a system. Understand nuclear reactions in the sun produce light and heat for the Earth.
P.EN.E.1 Forms of Energy- Heat, electricity, light, and sound are forms of energy.
P.EN.03.11 Identify light and sound as forms of energy.
P.EN.E.2 Light Properties- Light travels in a straight path. Shadows result from light not being able to pass through an object. When light travels at an angle from one substance to
another (air and water), it changes direction.
P.EN.03.21 Demonstrate that light travels in a straight path and that shadows are made by placing an object in a path of light.
P.EN.03.22 Observe what happens to light when it travels from air to water (a straw half in the water and half in the air looks bent).
P.EN.E.3 Sound- Vibrating objects produce sound. The pitch of sound varies by changing the rate of vibration.
P.EN.03.31 Relate sounds to their sources of vibrations (for example: a musical note produced by a vibrating guitar string, the sounds of a drum made by the vibrating drum head).
P.EN.03.32 Distinguish the effect of fast or slow vibrations as pitch.
Click Here for a Companion Document which provides additional learning activities for Light and Sound Content: 3rd_Grade_Complete_1-22-09_264577_7.pdf
Credit: State of Michigan Department of Education
National Educational Technology Standards for K-12 Students
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks
d. Process data and report results
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
Credit: NETS for Teachers
Learning Activities:
Identifying Light and Sound as forms of energy:
This lesson introduces students to light and sound as forms of energy. Students will be engaged with a demonstration of creating light, and sound. Exploration questions will be posed to students for investigations. The questions will involve students exploring light and sound as forms of energy through the use of a webquest from zunal.com. After each group completes their webquest, they will present their understandings to the class through discussions and presentations. Students will also participate in a classroom science reflection blog at the conclusion of this lesson to facilitate their personal reflections and thoughts and light and sound as forms of energy.
Technology Integration: Computers, internet, web quest from zunal.com, class science blog from edublogs.com.
Identify Light and Sound Energy
Shadows:
Students will learn about shadows and how they are formed in this activity. Students will work together in groups and participate in experiments and class discussions. Students will also demonstrate that light travels in a straight path. Students will use flashlights, and the digital projector as light sources to explore about shadows. Students will be required to develop an experiment to test how to create shadows in the classroom. Students will use the materials at their disposal to create a shadow. They will record their methods and findings as a way to share their results with students in another classroom at our school. Students will type their experiment following the scientific method. At the conclusion of their investigation each group will e-mail their experiment completed with the class scientific method, to a group of students in a different class. This will demonstrate to students that scientists must follow a scientific method so that other scientists can replicate their experiment and receive the same results. The students in the other classroom at our school will be asked to read through the experiment and attempt to replicate what was done and gain the same results.
Technology Integration: digital projector for shadow explorations, flashlights, internet website with shadows simulation activity, class science blog from edublogs.com.
Shadows
Properties of sound:
Students will learn about the properties of sound energy in this lesson. They will investigate how to create sounds and explore how sounds are produced with vibrations. Students will be engaged at the beginning of the lesson through videos from the internet on youtube.com and brainpop.com. The inquiry approach will be utilized in this lesson with students exploring a question about how to produce different amounts of sounds based on the materials they are presented with. Students will also have a reflection question to answer on the classroom blog as homework for this investigation.
Technology Integration: Computers with internet for each group of students to research properties of sound information, digital projector with internet videos from youtube.com and brainpop.com, classroom science blog from edublogs.com.
- Click the link below for the complete learning activity. This document also includes a thorough TPACK analysis section.
Properties of Sound